Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Chocolate Connoisseurs

Yes, finally a post about chocolate. You all know I love dark chocolate, but the odd thing is I can go for months without touching any. In one month, I must have eaten chocolate only 3 or 4 times. A cherry liqueur or two a couple of times, a Grand Marnier After Eight stick...

Selfridges no longer stocks Pierre Marcolini, which really is one of the best in Europe. Marcolini is Belgian and holds the official title of chocolatier with boutiques in Brussels, Paris, and Tokyo, but is based in London. Possibly some of you remember me going on about it last year. Actually, I can date the fall-off in chocolate consumption from then. If I ever get around to visiting the boutique on Kensington Church Street...

There is Rococo on Marylebone High Street, but you can find various selections of their chocolates at a few London stores now, such as Liberty and Waitrose. Valrhona is another good brand. I prefer it to Green & Black's, but it's not as widespread. I have found Valrhona at Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges, Waitrose, and even spotted some at our local Tesco today. Carte d'Or is also supposed to be good, but I haven't tried it yet even though I can find it at Waitrose too. I haven't looked at the chocolates at Harvey Nichols or Harrods 101 because I get carried away with other foods there!

Dove smells like a spice market, giving an idea of cinammon, some clove, maybe even nutmeg. On the tongue it is silky smooth, round-edged, fast-melting, slightly bitter with no tartness, and has a delayed zingy bitterness with an exciting chili-like tang.

G&B gives an immediate pleasant orange bouquet, but then feels more gooey, is more overwhelmingly bitter, has a rough texture, and leaves a bitter aftertaste and heavy coating on the tongue.

I dunno liv, as someone who likes bitter things I have to say i lvoe green & black's choclate. My favourite is G&B's dark chocolate with orange. I'm not a big chocolate guy, especially hot chocolate but G&B's hot chocolate is legend!

talking of chocolatier, you may have read that i found one in the most unlikely places - Hull. the guy is lovely was running the place single handed when i went there. he told us all about how chocolatier chocs don't last too long because there are no preservatives and various bits that i forget. As I say i am not a big choccy person but I my head nearly exploded with how good this guys stuff was (gave me a free sample after we bought a gift box for a friend).

I must try said Dove! I love chocolate too, some days I've went as much as a few hours without getting any, but let me tell you they were hard times. You know though, you could be onto something not having so much, because once I had no money for chocolate for two weeks and that first bite after getting some was SHEER BLISS.

ML - I guess I've never been a sweet eater, though I have a sweet tooth. I love cookies.

***

Selba - I did indeed read about it. Quite impressive. A scout for the Chocolate Society went around the world looking for chocolate, and when she got to Asia, there was little choice, but your SilverQueen may have been one of them.

There's a poncified place near my office that sells Pierre Marcolini. I paid £8 for a 100g bar a few weeks back. Nice but I am not sure it's really worth it. Pop over to Bishopsgate and I can point you in the right direction...

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We do not expect people to be deeply moved by what is not unusual...If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence.